Inside Sports
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Sports
Before a game of women's hockey, a new Olympic sport, fans were shown a video explaining the rules. The fans also were taught the wave.
Pro Basketball
Michael Jordan reiterates that he will retire if the Bulls decide to change coaches.
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ATM
Tuesday
February 10, 1998
Section:
A
Page 10
College Basketball
The Aggies lost their fourth basketball player this season to injuries. Chris Clayton fractured his foot.
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AP TOP 25
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' men's basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through yesterday, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:
rank team rec pts pvs
1. N. Carolina (68) 24-1 1,748 2
2. Duke 21-2 1,624 1
3. Arizona (2) 21-3 1,608 4
4. Kansas 26-3 1,589 3
5. Utah 20-1 1,437 5
6. Connecticut 21-3 1,368 7
7. Kentucky 21-3 1,300 8
8. Burdure 20-4 1,230 10
9. UCLA 18-4 1,147 6
10. Princeton 18-1 1,077 11
11. New Mexico 18-3 1,024 12
12. Arkansas 20-3 1,994 14
13. Michigan St. 17-4 907 16
14. Stanford 19-3 894 9
15. S. Carolina 17-4 748 13
16. W. Virginia 19-4 572 15
17. G. Washington 20-3 519 22
18. Mississippi 15-5 486 17
19. Cincinnati 15-5 385 20
20. Massachusetts 17-6 362 23
21. Michigan 17-7 298 18
22. Texas Christian 20-4 256 —
23. Syracuse 17-5 245 19
24. Maryland 14-7 239 25
25. Rhode Island 17-5 176 —
Others receiving考生: Xavier 128, Indiana 100, Illinois 63, St. John's 54, Iowa 20, Saint Louis 19, Murray St. 18, Oklahoma St. 16, Tennessee 16, Detroit 13, Oldhamia 11, Florida St. 10, Colleil of Chicago 9, Illinois St. 11, St. John's St. 11, Chicago 2, Arizona St. 1, Ball St. 1, Hawaii 1, N.C. Charlotte 1, Santa Clara 1.
USA TODAY/ESPN TOP 25
The top 25 teams in The Associated Press' men's basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through yesterday, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking:
rank team rec pts pvs
1. N. Carolina (30) 24-1 750 2 1
2. Duke 21-2 701 1
3. Kansas 26-3 693 3 4
4. Arizona 21-3 671 1
5. Utah 20-1 625 5
6. Connecticut 21-3 591 7
7. Purdue 20-4 545 8
8. Kentucky 21-3 530 9
9. Princeton 18-1 476 11
10. UCLA 18-4 573 6
11. New Mexico 18-3 456 12
12. Arkansas 20-3 419 14
13. Stanford 19-3 388 10
14. S. Carolina 17-4 337 13
15. Michigan 17-4 331 19
16. Mississippi 15-5 262 16
17. W. Virginia 19-4 255 15
18. G. Washington 20-3 207 25
19. Michigan 18-7 165 18
20. Syracuse 17-5 146 17
21. Cincinnati 17-5 135 20
22. Massachusetts 17-6 120 24
23. Xavier 15-6 121 22
24. Rhode Island 17-5 87 23
25. Maryland 14-7 69 —
Others receiving votes. Indiana 37, Iowa 35, Texas Christian 22, St John 20, St John Mercy 15, Illinois 12, Pacific 12, lone 7, Murray State 7, Illinois State 4, Uahore State 4, Georgia Tech 3, North Carolina Charlotte 2, Oklahoma 2, Saint Louis 2, Dayton 1, Temple 1, Tennessee 1.
E-mail information
With the 100-year anniversary of Kansas basketball this season, the Kansan is curious about what fans think. Compile your list of the top-five players, teams and games in Jayhawk history and e-mail us at sports@kansan.com.
Concentration is Kansas' game
Missouri guard Jeff Hafer and center Monte Hardge try to block Kansas forward Paul Pierce as he shoots the ball. Pierce had team-high 29 points in the Jayhawk's 80-70 victory against the Tigers Sunday at Allen Field House. Photo by Steve Puppe/KANSAN
Team still has room to improve focus before postseason begins
By Tommy Gallagher
tgallagher@kansan.com
Kansas sportwriter
Joach Roy Williams was fond of the events and memories produced by the 100 years of Kansas basketball weekend, but he
Williams: Says team will benefit from practice time
said he was pleased it had ended.
"I'm glad that it's over with, but yet I enjoyed the weekend immensely because of the people who returned to make it so special," Williams sald yesterday. "There was a lot of planning that went into all that. We had six or seven meetings just in the past few weeks alone. I'd much rather spend that time watching (game) film."
Activities celebrating Kansas basketball began last month. Wilt Chamberlain returned to Lawrence for a jersey retirement ceremony Jan. 17. One week later, the Jayhawks broke the school's record for most consecutive wins at home.
And then came last weekend's furious schedule of events. About 300 players, coaches and managers returned for the celebration.
Forward Raef LaFrentz said he saw what the Kansas tradition was all about during the team's 80-70 victory against Missouri on Sunday.
"You really felt the tradition out there," LaFrentz said. "You saw the legends in the crowd and forgot that there's a game to play. It was tough for me to concentrate at times,
but we were able to put aside all the distractions and play the game."
Now that the special events, ceremonies and records are in the past, the Jayhawks prepare to defend their Big 12 Conference regular-season and tournament titles and to return to the NCAA Tournament.
Although Williams is pleased with the team's steady improvement since conference play began, he said some areas required more attention to detail.
“Our zone defense is terrible, and our zone offense isn't that great either,” he said. “You need to be able to mix it up on defense, and we need to improve on that. We're nowhere near where we need to be, so I'd be scared to death if the tournament were to start today.”
Williams said the Jayhawks still were adding plays during practice, partly because of an 18-game nonconference schedule last November and December that limited the number of practices between games.
Because the team now is playing only two games per week, Williams can focus on the team's flaws in the weeks before postseason play begins.
The Jayhawks only have five regular season games remaining, which includes three games on the road. The team will not play at home until back-to-back games Feb. 21 and 23 against Iowa State and Oklahoma.
Williams said that defending the Big 12 title was part of the team's goals for the season but that the team also had greater plans.
"One of goals at the start of this season was to make the NCAA Tournament." Williams said. "Beyond that, I'm not going to speculate. But as long as we work hard and continue to improve, I like our chances of having success in whatever happens after that."
Coaches irritated by weak Big 12 perception
By Tommy Gallagher
tgallagher@kansan.com
By Tommy Gallagher
Kansan sportswriter
When the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee hands out at-large berths next month, Big 12 Conference teams hoping for a postseason spot might be locked out.
During the league's weekly teleconference yesterday, Missouri coach Norm Stewart and other Big 12 coaches spoke highly of their conference and harshly about what the nation, including the committee, may think.
"I'm not thinking in terms of what somebody sitting on the committee is thinking about," he said. "I don't know what the hell they're thinking. They don't see any of the games. They go by rankings. They go by this and by that. I'm involved in the day-to-day gut detail."
The Tigers, who lost to Kansas 80-70 Sunday at Allen Field House, have not won a
Stewart: Says selection committee depends on rankings.
After being ranked earlier this season, Sutton's team, 17-4 overall and 7-4 in the Big 12.
received no votes in the latest USA Today/ESPN coaches poll yesterday and 16 votes in the Associated Press poll. The Cowboys have defeated one ranked opponent — No.22 Texas Christian — this season.
"It's always amazed me," Sutton said.
"We've been in the polls a lot of years, and it
Oklahoma State coach Eddie Sutton said he thought the Big 12 did not receive enough national recognition.
road game in nearly two years. But Missouri, 13-10 overall and 5-5 in the Big 12, has beaten No. 4 Kansas and No. 24 Maryland this season.
No. 21 Michigan is 17-7 but has defeated No. 2 Duke, and No. 24 Maryland is 14-7 and has victories against top-ranked North Carolina and No. 4 Kansas.
Those teams may be the most debatable top 25 selections.
So why has the Big 12 struggled to receive national attention?
seems to me once you get in, if you're in at the beginning (of the season), it's hard to get out. If you're not in, sometimes it's hard to get in. A lot of those teams have lost a lot of games, but they're still in."
The Jayhawks, 26-3 overall and 10-1 in the Big 12, are the Big 12's only ranked team and are a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Oklahoma, 17-7 overall and 8-3 in the Big 12, stands above the rest of the pack.
Then eight conference teams — Oklahoma State, Tech Texas, Kansas State, Missouri, Colorado, Baylor, Nebraska and Texas — are separated by just two games. Iowa State and winless Texas A&M round out the
standings.
ESPN's Web site recently released a prediction of the 64-team tournament field, and just three Big 12 teams — Kansas, Oklahoma State and Kansas State — made the cut. The Sporting News did a similar forecast and determined that Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State would make the field.
Big 12 schools consistently have won at home, but road games have proved to be a challenge.
No team other than Missouri has victories against top-quality, nationally recognized opponents.
Baylor coach Harry Miller said the perception that a Big 12 was a weak basketball conference was inaccurate.
"I don't think it's a deal where we're just so weak," Miller said. "There's just so much parity, we're killing each other in the conference. We might be better off if there were three or four dominant teams."
Returning pitchers show improvements, experience
By John Blakely Wilson
Kansan sportswriter
Eleven pitchers are returning to the team from last season, including three of its four earned-run-average leaders. Randall also said his top six arms were far improved from a year ago.
Kansas baseball pitchers have allowed about seven earned runs per game during Bobby Randall's two seasons in Lawrence.
But Randall said that was about to change.
"Our two most effective guys were true freshman," Randall said. "Almost our entire staff now has at least a year of Division I baseball experience, which will make us several times better."
Randall has slated six pitchers for a three-game series this weekend at San Diego State. Each will throw on a pitch
count of 75-80.
The rotation will consist of sophomore Rusty Philbrick (3-1 record, 4.71 earned run average), junior Les Walrond (1-0, 14.40), sophomore Mark Corson (2-3, 4.86), junior college transfer Brian Schuster, freshman Brian Schriner and junior Chris Williams (1-1, 5.86), in that order.
"We want to protect our arms early in the season," Randall said. "Each guy will throw about half of each game."
Randall said that although those six primarily would start the season, other pitchers would have a chance later.
"To get through the entire schedule, we will need 10 pitchers," Randall said. "Some of the other guys, like Josh Bailey (4.3, 6.6) will have a chance."
Walrond, who primarily played in
Randall said Philbrick and Corson, who were the top two in earned run averages last season, also had improved.
the outfield last season, is concentrating on pitching this season behind the power of a 92 mile-per-hour fastball.
"I have never seen a pitcher improve more in six months," Randall said. "He will throw in the opener. His control and confidence have come a long way."
Philbrick said pitching coach Wilson Kilmer deserved the credit for the improvements.
The results of Kilmer's efforts will begin to show this year, Brilhick said.
"I came here because I had worked with Coach Kilmer at summer camps, and I knew how much he could help my game," he said. "He had a tough job last year with so many freshman and newcomers."
Josh Bailey, senior pitcher, releases a pitch. Coach Bobby Randoll said he would newbailey's help this season. Photo by Bec Krogerian/KANSAN
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